Jmj

Today, September 5, the Catholic Church honors, in a special way, the following friends of God, saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Bertin (French, abbot, 7th century)
St. Genebald of Laon (French, bishop, c. 555)
Bl. Gentilis (Italian, Franciscan missionary to Muslims, martyred in Persia in 1340)
St. Herculanus (Italian, martyr, c. 180)
St. Jordan of Pulsano (Italian, Benedictine abbot, d. 1152)
St. Joseph Canh (Vietnamese, physician, Dominican tertiary, martyred by beheading in 1838 [canonized in 1988])
St. Lawrence Giustiniani (Venetian, bishop, writer on mystical contemplation, d. 1455)
St. Obdulia (Spanish, nun)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@amdg.ihs), September 05, 2001

Answers

-- (_@_._), September 05, 2001.

[Here are some September 5 saints/blesseds to be added to those listed in the opening message:]

Bl. Albert of Pontida (Italian, soldier, Benedictine abbot, d. 1095)
St. Albert of Butrio (Italian, Benedictine abbot, d. 1073)
St. Alvitus of León (Spanish, Benedictine monk, bishop, c. 1073)
Sts. Eudoxius, Zeno, Macarius, and about 1,000 companions (Armenian, soldiers, martyred in 2nd century)
St. Madrona (Spanish, orphan, virgin in Rome, tortured and martyred by starvation in 300)
Holy Martyrs of Kosice (martyred [beheaded] by Transylvanian Calvinists in Slovakia in 1619 [canonized 1995])
----- St. Melchior Grodziecki (Polish, Jesuit priest, died at about age 35)
----- St. Istvan Pongracz (Hungarian, Jesuit priest, died at about age 36)
----- St. Marko Krizevcanin (Croatian, parish priest)
Sts. Quintius, Arcontius, and Donatus (Italian, early martyrs)
St. Romulus (Roman, courtier, martyred c. 112)
Sts. Urban, Theodore and about eighty companions (priests and others, martyred [left on burning ship] by Arian heretics in 370)
St. Victorinus of Como (Italian, bishop, d. 644)
St. Victorinus (martyred in Rome in 2nd century)
St. Vitus of Pontida (Italian, Benedictine monk, c. 1095)
Bl. William Browne (English, layman, martyred [hanged] by Elizabethans in 1605 [beatified 1929])

JFG

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 05, 2002.

Jmj

On September 5, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints and blesseds whose souls are now in heaven:

Bl. Albert of Pontida [Alberto] (Italian, soldier, Benedictine abbot, d. 1095)
St. Albert of Butrio [Alberto] (Italian, Benedictine abbot, d. 1073)
St. Alvito of León (Spanish, Benedictine monk, bishop, c. 1073)
St. Bertin of Sithiu (French, abbot, 7th century)
Sts. Eudoxius, Zeno, Macarius, and about 1,000 companions, of Melitene (Armenian, soldiers, martyred in 2nd century)
St. Genebald of Laon (French, bishop, c. 555)
Bl. Gentilis of Matelica (Italian, Franciscan missionary to Muslims, martyred in Persia in 1340)
St. Herculanus of Porto (Italian, martyr, c. 180)
St. Jordan of Pulsano [Giordano] (Italian, Benedictine abbot, d. 1152)
St. Joseph Hoang Luong Canh of Tonkin (Vietnamese, physician, Dominican tertiary, martyred by beheading in 1838 [canonized in 1988])
Holy Martyrs of Košice (martyred [beheaded] by Transylvanian Calvinists in Slovakia in 1619 [canonized 1995])
----- St. Melchior Grodziecki of Czeszyn (Polish, Jesuit priest, died at about age 35)
----- St. Steven Pongracz of Alvincz [Istvan] (Hungarian, Jesuit priest, died at about age 36)
----- St. Mark Križevcanin of Križevci [Marko] (Croatian, nobleman, parish priest, died at about age 31)
St. Lawrence Giustiniani of Venice [Lorenzo] (Venetian, bishop, writer on mystical contemplation, d. 1455)
St. Madrona of Barcelona (Spanish, orphan, virgin in Rome, tortured and martyred by starvation in 300)
St. Obdulia of Toledo (Spanish, nun)
Sts. Quintius, Arcontius, and Donatus, of Capua (Italian, early martyrs)
St. Romulus of Rome (Italian, courtier, martyred c. 112)
Sts. Urban, Theodore and about eighty companions (priests and others, martyred [left on burning ship] by Arian heretics in 370)
St. Victorinus of Como (Italian, bishop, d. 644)
St. Victorinus of Ponza (martyred in Rome in 2nd century)
Bl. William Browne of Northamptonshire (English, layman, martyred [hanged] under James I in 1605 [beatified 1929])

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 05, 2003.

This is to add the name of a great woman, just beatified by our pope today ...

Bl. Teresa Bojaxhiu of Skopje ["Mother Teresa of Calcutta"] [baptized Gonxha (Agnes)] (Albanian, member of Sisters of Loreto in Ireland and India, schoolteacher and principal, foundress and superior of Missionaries of Charity [sisters/brothers/priests, active and contemplative] to serve the "poorest of the poor," died at age 87 in 1997 [beatified 2003])

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), October 19, 2003.

Late in 2003 and early in 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified sixteen servants of God. The following one was assigned this calendar day for yearly commemoration.

Bl. Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu of Skopje [baptized Agnes Gonxha] ["Mother Teresa of Calcutta," "Saint of the Gutters"] (Albanian [born in Ottoman Empire], member of Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, schoolteacher and principal in India, founded Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity [sisters, brothers, priests -- active and contemplative] to serve "the poorest of the poor," mother superior for almost 50 years, winner of Nobel Peace Prize, died at age 87 in 1997 [beatified 2003])

[From "Mother Teresa," whose baptismal names mean "lamb" and "flower bud":]
"By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus."

[I did mention the beatification of "Mother Teresa" last Fall, but decided to post it again, with slight changes. For example, I was interested to learn that her name "in religion" was actually "Mary Teresa."]

-- (jfgecik@spamfreeHotmail.com), May 07, 2004.